The game is still a few weeks away, but Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway‘s availability will be in question every passing day until the Tigers kickoff against UCF in Atlanta. Asked about the possibility of having Pettway retrun from injury to play in the Peach Bowl against the undefeated AAC champions, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said he simply cannot predict what will happen.

“I don’t know the answer to that quite yet,” Malzahn said last week, as noted by Gridiron Now. “It’s hard for me to answer that right now. Maybe as it gets a little closer, I can be a little more accurate.”

Pettway has been sidelined by a shoulder injury, which was expected to cost him a significant amount of playing time for the remainder of the season. However, Auburn never officially ruled Pettway’s season to be done as a result of the injury, which leaft the door open for a possible bowl appearance if Pettway is able to recover in time and be cleared to play.

Pettway has rushed for 305 yards and six touchdowns out of the Auburn backfield this season. Kerryon Johnson has carried the running game for Auburn this season, and Pettway’s potential return would be more of a complimentary role in a bowl game.

A watch list of the top running backs in the nation has been released by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum on Thursday. The Doak Walker Award watch list is full of great players, including 2016 Doak Walker Award semifinalists Saquon Barkley (Penn State) and Kamryn Pettway (Auburn).

Among those included on this year’s initial Doak Walker Award watch list (more players can be added at any time) are LSU’s Derrius Guice, Georgia’s Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, LJ Scott of Michigan State, Mike Weber of Ohio State, and Bo Scarbrough of Alabama, Washington’s Myles Gaskin, and Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin.

D’Onta Foreman of Texas beat out both Barkley and Pettway last season for the award. The Doak Walker Award has been presented to the nation’s top running back annually since 1990. Among the winners over the years have included Ricky Williams, LaDainian Tomlinson, Reggie Bush, and Montee Ball.

To be included on this watch list, the university athletic department must submit a nomination.

The new college football season may still be a long way away, but it is never too early to place your bets on who you think will win the Heisman Trophy in the 2017 season. The very early favorite, according to odds released by Bovada on Monday, is Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Bovada gives Mayfield 11/2 odds to win the Heisman Trophy this fall. He is followed by Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett (6/1), which sets up a nice Heisman Trophy showdown in September when the defending Big 12 champions head to Columbus for the second game in a home-and-home series that was won by Ohio State in Norman in 2016. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, is listed with 7/1 odds, with USC’s rising star quarterback Sam Darnold listed at 9/1.

Penn State’s dynamic duo of running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Trace McSorley each have 10/1 odds, along with Washington quarterback Jake Browning.

If there was any question about what Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway had planned for the 2017 season, wonder no more. The Tigers running back took to Twitter to silence any questions that may have been floating around about his playing future by saying he is coming back to Auburn in 2017.

It was never really expected Pettway would move on from Auburn so soon, but at least now we know for sure. His return to the Tigers next season will make for a formidable backfield. In addition to sharing running duties with Kerryon Johnson, Pettway will likely be taking handoffs from transfer quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The former Baylor quarterback announced he will join Auburn next season. Because Stidham sat out the 2016 season, he will be eligible to play in 2017 for the Tigers.

Pettway was the SEC’s sixth-leading rusher in 2016 with 1,123 rushing yards and a conference-high 124.78 rushing yards per game.

Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson will now have an opportunity to do something no quarterback has ever done. Jackson will attempt to become the first quarterback in the history of the Heisman Trophy to win the award a second time. And considering how weel his 2016 season started (despite sputtering in the end), the hype machine will be in full force in 2017 out of Louisville. History will not be on his side of course, as there has been just one two-time Heisman Trophy winner (Archie Griffin of Ohio State).

Recent quarterbacks who have come up short of winning a second Heisman Trophy have included Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel. Jackson should have some stiff competition to pose with the stiff-arm trophy in 2017, including at the quarterback position alone. For starters, 2016 Heisman Trophy finalist Baker Mayfield will be back at Oklahoma with a chance to pick up where he has left this season, and that will include a second crack against Ohio State (in Columbus).

Other quarterbacks that should be in the conversation will include USC’s Sam Darnold, Washington’s Jake Browning and perhaps UCLA’s Josh Rosen out of the Pac-12. Alabama’s Jalen Hurts will certainly garner some attention, as will Penn State’s Trace McSorley) and Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett if he returns in 2017. And with Tom Herman the QB Whisperer taking over the show in Austin, look for a big year from Texas quarterback Shane Buechele to catch some eyes.

Running backs have lost their edge in the Heisman Trophy game over the last 15 years, but Saquon Barkley of Penn State, Derrius Guice of LSU and Kamryn Pettway of Auburn may be worth watching closely. Ohio State’s biggest playmaker, Kurtis Samuel, should be in the conversation as well. And for those who insist on throwing a defensive player in the mix, Houston’s Ed Olliver will be the name to watch, although a defensive player from a Group of Five program likely has as minimal a chance to win the Heisman Trophy as there exists. USC’s Adoree’ Jackson isn’t shy about starting his own campaign either.

But the fun part about the Heisman Trophy conversation every season is seeing which player pops up out of nowhere to take the college football world by storm. That will likely be the case in the month of September, but it is anyone’s guess who it may be. Or maybe Jackson will have what it takes to make history.